Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Public Sector Gulags
The world will never know how Eric Perez died
Ursus:
The Miami Herald
Posted on Friday, 07.15.11
2 fired, 4 on leave after teen's death
The Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Two juvenile justice employees have been fired and four others have been placed on paid leave after a teen died at a West Palm Beach detention center.
A spokeswoman for the agency said the teen died Sunday, but would not identify him or say how he died.
The department and West Palm Beach police are investigating the cause of death.
The employees were placed on leave starting July 12. The two terminations were announced Friday.
Mental health personnel are assisting staff and youth at the facility.
Copyright 2011 Miami Herald Media Co.
Ursus:
The Palm Beach Post
State fires two juvenile-center employees in teen's death
By Julius Whigham II
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Updated: 11:53 p.m. Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Posted: 5:05 p.m. Friday, July 15, 2011
The state has fired two detention-center employees who had been put on paid administrative leave after a teen died in custody this week, a Florida Department of Juvenile Justice spokeswoman said Friday.
DJJ spokeswoman Samadhi Jones confirmed the firings but did not specify the reasons for them. She would not comment on whether they were related to the investigation into the death Sunday of Eric Perez, 18, at the Palm Beach Regional Juvenile Center in West Palm Beach.
The state has not released the names of the dismissed employees.
Six employees at the center, which is on 45th Street west of St. Mary's Medical Center, were placed on paid administrative leave Tuesday as authorities investigate the death of Perez, whose family lives in St. Lucie County.
Perez appears to have died of a sudden illness, family members said.
Perez, who turned 18 this month, was assigned to the center after having been charged with a probation violation June 28, when he was still 17 and legally considered a juvenile. He had been scheduled for release this week.
The DJJ Office of Inspector General and the West Palm Beach Police Department are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.
The Miami Herald reported Friday that state juvenile justice administrators have a videotape recording that depicts Perez's final moment. But the administrators are reviewing whether a new state law would prohibit releasing the recording, according to the Herald's report.
The law, which took effect July 1, exempts photos, videos or audio recordings that depict someone dying from Florida's public-records law. Violating the law is a third-degree felony.
State Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, told televison station WFLX-29 on Friday night that the center had been "underfunded" and "neglected" by state officials in Tallahassee for years and called for a careful review of its operations.
Copyright © 2011 The Palm Beach Post.
Ursus:
Comments left for the above article, "State fires two juvenile-center employees in teen's death" (by Julius Whigham II; July 15, 2011; Palm Beach Post):
SheliaJoy · 5:18 PM, 7/15/2011
All DJJ facilities are LEGALIZED CHILD ABUSE!!!cj · 5:36 PM, 7/15/2011
LAWSUIT!!!!david · 6:03 PM, 7/15/2011
you wanna bet they will hire them back very quitelyGet Real · 6:08 PM, 7/15/2011
SheliaJoy...you must be the parents of the literally 1000s of juveniles offenders I worked with in my life who have committed serious crimes like murder (not uncommon), rapes, gun charges,shall I go on. No one is ever to condone a death of any human being...Child abuse...I wonder what you really do as a parent. What have you done for your community? CJ..Lawsuit really? Accidents happen. We always want to sue in todays society, life is more preciuos than $$$, especially when its the one you love.Oh Please · 6:32 PM, 7/15/2011
What is the gov't doing to clean up the rest of the garbage?Michael Cohen · 8:19 PM, 7/15/2011
There are many problems in these facilities, but it is the legislature and governor who are responsible. They have decided to close the mental hospitals and dump the patients into the jails and prisons. Under these circumstances these patients cannot get the care they need and they are forced to mix with violent criminals.
The Post, of course, blames the psychiatrists the problems in these facilities while ignoring what the politicians are doing to the system.crosshanded1 · 9:13 PM, 7/15/2011
Having worked in the Juvenile Justice system for well over twenty years, the vast majority of DJJ Corrections Officers et al ,exemplify professionalism, dedication and concern for the welfare of our nations youth.Don't blame the system. A lack of parental supervision or a complete disregard for the actions of their children is the real travesty.The unfortunate death of this young man, while tragic, should not impugn the reputations of those individuals working hard to promote a positive change.What a tragedy....NOT · 12:30 AM, 7/16/2011
This delinquent deserved to be in this detention center. Did he deserve to die? Probably not, but our country is headed in such a terrible direction. Terrible parenting is mostly to blame. If he was still alive and released, hed just end up RIGHT back in there. I saw a report on the case on WPTV news lastnight, and the kids mother was interviewed, and it's no wonder this guy was incarcerated. She was a mess. Definate drug abuser. Minimal emotion. Just pitiful.smit · 8:13 AM, 7/16/2011
Don't go to Iloveshopping.com. They will put a virus on your computer.
Copyright © 2011 The Palm Beach Post.
Ursus:
Carol Marbin Miller from the Miami Herald summarizes the then current state of affairs pretty well in below article...
This article was also published in the Palm Beach Post on July 16: Teen's death in West Palm Beach lockup raises questions about new law (video news footage also available at this link).
-------------- • -------------- • --------------
The Miami Herald
Posted on Friday, 07.15.11
JUVENILE JUSTICE
Teen's death in West Palm Beach lockup raises questions about new law
State juvenile justice administrators have a tape of a dying teen in custody in Palm Beach County. Two lockup workers have been fired and several others suspended.
BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER · CMARBIN@MIAMIHERALD.COM
Eric Perz (photo provided)
Two weeks after a controversial state law took effect making it illegal for government agencies to make photos or recordings of a death public, the statute will face its first test: state juvenile justice administrators have a videotape that depicts the final moments of an 18-year-old who died at a West Palm Beach lockup hours after he became ill and psychotic.
Eric Perez died at the West Palm Beach juvenile detention center at 8:09 a.m. Sunday, a few hours after lockup administrators moved the Port St. Lucie teen into a dining room so they could monitor his condition.
Samahdi Jones, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Juvenile Justice in Tallahassee, would not identify the youth in an interview with The Miami Herald, but Perez's mother confirmed she was told her son had died at the lockup.
"They should have taken him to a hospital," 47-year-old Maritza Perez said. "Just because he made mistakes doesn't mean they have the right to take his life away."
Juvenile justice administrators will not discuss Perez's death in detail. Jones said the agency has suspended four lockup workers and fired two others while DJJ's inspector general and the West Palm Beach police complete investigations into the youth's death. "The DJJ is conducting an intensive review of actions taken by department personnel to determine whether policies and procedures were followed," Jones said in the statement.
Jones declined to provide the names of any the workers, or the reasons for the terminations. The agency also declined to provide The Herald copies of the workers' termination letters.
Jones said DJJ heads are reviewing and redacting a videotape from the lockup for possible release under the state's public-records law at The Herald's request. But she added that administrators are studying the newly state law to determine whether it prohibits release of the recording. For the moment, Jones said, the video cannot be released because it is part of ongoing investigations into the youth's death.
DJJ Secretary Wansley Walters, who headed Miami's juvenile assessment center before she was tapped to run the state agency, said, "The sudden loss of this young man brings deep sadness to all of us at the DJJ. We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones."
Jones said agency heads do not yet know what caused Perez's death.
The death marks the second time juvenile justice administrators have recorded events tied to the death of a detained youth. In 2006, a grainy, poorly recorded video showed a 14-year-old Panhandle boy being punched and kneed by boot camp guards because he refused to follow orders to run a track. The video, which was played endlessly on national television after DJJ released it in response to a lawsuit, led to sweeping changes in the way delinquent youths are disciplined in Florida commitment centers and lockups.
The new law, sponsored by Rep. Rachel V. Burgin, a Riverview Republican, prohibits the release of photos, video and audio recordings "that depict the killing of a person." Violating the law, which took effect July 1, is a third-degree felony.
The law defines "killing of a person" broadly to mean "all acts or events that cause or otherwise relate to the death of a human being, including any related acts or events immediately preceding or subsequent to the acts or events that were the proximate cause of death." The statute is similar to a measure passed in 2001 that banned the release of autopsy photos in the wake of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt's death.
The law does allow a surviving spouse or other relative to obtain a copy of such records, and Maritza Perez told The Herald she favors the release of any recordings that shed light on how her son died if it would prevent "another kid from having to go through what Eric did."
"They took him from me," Perez said. "I'll do anything."
Burgin said she drafted the bill last year after attending funerals for two Tampa police officers whose killings were captured on the dashboard camera of a squad car during a routine traffic stop. Reporters were allowed to view the recordings after a successful lawsuit, and Burgin said she felt the officers' families had suffered enough without "having to relive the death of their loved ones over and over."
Eric's mother may request the tape under the new law, Burgin said. "She just has to ask for it, and she can do whatever she wants with it."
Perez said she has been given conflicting reports by agency heads about her son's final hours. She said she was told Eric awoke early in the morning and appeared to be hallucinating, waving his arms frantically and screaming "Get him off me!" Nearby youths sought help from lockup staff, who moved the teen and his mat from a dorm to a day room so he could be more closely monitored. Eric vomited several times, Perez said she was told.
A few hours after Eric became ill, his condition worsened dramatically and lockup administrators called for an ambulance, Perez said she was told. By the time emergency workers arrived, Eric was dead.
At first, Perez said, she was told Eric succumbed to breathing problems. Later, she was told he appeared to have died from an enlarged heart. Then, she said, she was told he may have suffered a stroke.
"There was nothing wrong with my son," Perez said. "He was a very athletic kid. He played football and basketball. He wrestled with his brother. He was in perfect shape."
"They should have taken him to the hospital or had a real doctor look at him," Perez said. "Instead, they took it upon themselves, and left my son on a mat in the dining room, dying."
Eric Perez — who turned 18 eight days before his death and was scheduled for release a few days later — was arrested on robbery charges, and would have been referred to the region's delinquency drug court for treatment had he not been on the cusp of adulthood.
Copyright 2011 Miami Herald Media Co.
Ursus:
Comments left for the above article, "Teen's death in West Palm Beach lockup raises questions about new law" (by Carol Marbin Miller, 07.15.11, The Miami Herald), #s 1-20:
gringo1965 · 07/15/2011 07:41 PM
death photo's??------------- go to http://www.documentingreality.com[/list]
Charles___Darwin · 07/15/2011 10:41 PM
Momma hit the lotto.Edge · 07/15/2011 11:12 PM in reply to Charles___Darwin
Its obvious DICK you don't have children to make such a callous comment...Fred Off · 07/16/2011 11:44 AM in reply to Charles___Darwin
Ahhhhhhhhhh The Racist Tbagger Bigot Troll has spouted!earthwat · 07/16/2011 01:27 PM in reply to Fred Off
You are the one that sounds to be racist by your comments.Charles___Darwin · 07/16/2011 05:48 PM in reply to earthwat
She is just angry in general. It's a female taking on a male persona. Very obvious.[/list][/list][/list]
TheMiddlePath · 07/16/2011 12:48 PM in reply to Charles___Darwin
Talk about racist.
So in your mind because she is black and poor it means she does not love her children and sees this as a good thing?Charles___Darwin · 07/16/2011 03:25 PM in reply to TheMiddlePath
You know she is black how? You must be a racist to assume that.TheMiddlePath · 07/16/2011 05:38 PM in reply to Charles___Darwin
The child was black, no? WHy should I assume the mother is anything but.
You're struggling CharlieCharles___Darwin · 07/16/2011 05:45 PM in reply to TheMiddlePath
President Obama may take exception to that. Didn't pay attention in Biology 101, did we TMP?John-Sebastian Barrera · 07/16/2011 06:14 PM in reply to Charles___Darwin
its more probable that his mother was black. I think TMP is talking about probabilities.Charles___Darwin · 07/16/2011 06:19 PM in reply to John-Sebastian Barrera
Talking about probabilities is like profiling. That's racist.[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list]
myangeldust · 07/16/2011 06:41 PM in reply to TheMiddlePath
Charles____Darwin is a racist. You should see his other comments when it comes to non-Anglos and Catholics.[/list][/list]
jokyla · 07/16/2011 04:02 AM
Backwater Florida. Up to her old tricks. Why on earth would lawmakers pass a law "making it illegal for government agencies to make photos or recordings of a death public"? Just maybe because we do not want to be sued for our workers negligent, irresponsible, and criminal behavior. The state can always tell families and authorities that "they don't know what happened" when you institute such policies that only favor the state and not the people.billyjobob · 07/16/2011 07:17 AM
they hire the stupid to work them jobs as they do in prisons, as most cops uneducated fools with there fitted shirts and goose stepping ,checks puffed up from steriods who pays the price , the tax payers but they care less if not in there back yard or family gee wonder why america is as it is the hate for all that are not white as them no one cares let us not forget they hung the black man till the 1960, women could not vote till the 1926, tried to wipe out the american indian and still have taking the mexicans land still hate them who is going to pick your food fools, break there backs feeding your kind for pennies what would you do if your family lived where no work and life was rough would not you do the same where is the churchs in america look what they do take and give nothing but lies and molest your kids but that is ok as long not in your family or back yard ,pay the price suckers and you areChazoMP11 · 07/16/2011 08:52 AM in reply to billyjobob
. <---------- This is a period. Try using it sometime buddy. I got a headache reading your super run on sentence.dsd01 · 07/16/2011 05:52 PM in reply to billyjobob
You've got guts calling someone else stupid. Your comment is loaded with grammatical and spelling errors. Go back to school.[/list]
billyjobob · 07/16/2011 07:21 AM
This comment was flagged for review.[/list]
ChazoMP11 · 07/16/2011 08:53 AM in reply to billyjobob
You clearly copied and pasted this from somewhere. There are periods here now.[/list]
1LIBERAL2 · 07/16/2011 08:09 AM
Leave to the fascist republicans to pass a law to protect them when they murder a defenseless person. Can the death camps be around the corner. No witnesses, no crime?
Copyright 2011 Miami Herald Media Co.
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